# Mac.Robertson Girls' High School

The Mac.Robertson Girls' High School (also known simply as Mac.Rob or MGHS) is a government-funded single-sex academically selective secondary day school, located in Albert Park, Victoria, Australia. Entry for Mac.Rob, which is operated by the Victorian Department of Education, is by competitive academic examination. It is unique in its status as a statewide provider for girls in Year Nine to Year Twelve. The equivalent for boys is its brother school, Melbourne High School. Each year, up to 8,000 candidates sit the entrance examination for a total of approximately 960 places (across all four schools).

## Overview

In 2001, The Sun-Herald ranked the Mac.Robertson Girls' High School sixth in Australia's top ten girls' schools, based on the number of its alumnae mentioned in the Who's Who in Australia. The Mac.Robertson Girls' High School has a long tradition of academic excellence with Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) scores propelling the school to be ranked first in the State of Victoria for seven consecutive years from 2002 to 2008, inclusive. The school was ranked third in 2009, but reclaimed its No. 1 ranking once again in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2018. Mac.Robertson Girls' High School was ranked second out of all state secondary schools in Victoria based on VCE results in 2018.

## History

The Mac.Robertson Girls' High School began as Melbourne Continuation School, the first government funded secondary school in the state of Victoria, established in 1905 in Spring Street, Melbourne. In 1912, it was renamed Melbourne High School. Originally a co-educational school, the school was segregated by sex in 1927, with the boys moving to Melbourne Boys' High School in Forrest Hill, South Yarra after the school building was condemned.
Girls continued to be educated in the condemned building, renamed as Melbourne Girls' High School, under the leadership of the existing headmistress Christina Montgomery (she had led the girls since 1923). In 1930 the school was housed in the then-vacant Government House until 1933, when they moved to State School No. 1689 in King Street. Sybil Llewelyn was appointed as head in 1933 but she soon resigned due to illness, In 1934, with the help of a donation from Macpherson Robertson, a new building was constructed the north-east corner of Albert Park Reserve. The school opened as the Mac.Robertson Girls' High School on 7 November 1934. The new head in 1934 was Mary Hutton. The school was used as United States Army Headquarters in 1942 and later by the Royal Australian Air Force. The students took their classes at Brighton Road State School, Camberwell East Girls' School, and University High School during this period. Hutton reassembled the school in 1943 and despite the military take-over the school's reputation increased.
Hutton was the head until 1948. She was always assessed as a high performer but she was paid less than her male peers even after she was finally recognised as a Principal in 1945. She led the school until 1948. When Ruby Gainfort, who had been vice-Principal, took over in 1949, there were 700 students in the school. For the next six years, Hutton was still employed as a part-time teacher. Gainfort encouraged a more relaxed atmosphere and was said to knew each of the pupils by name. She retired in 1955, having modernised the curriculum and increased pupils' participation in learning.
The building gained a national trust classification in 1987. It was previously gazetted as an Historic Building in 1982. The school celebrated its centenary year in 2005 with Melbourne High School in a joined assembly. Mac.Rob celebrated by inviting Premier of Victoria Steve Bracks to witness the restarting of the school clock tower (which did not in fact start when the time came).
In 2019, a burglar broke into Lakeside building and flooded the bottom floor; students then needed to walk to neighbouring schools to study because of the lack of space.

## Past principals

| Period | Principal |
| 1927–1932 | Christina Montgomery |
| 1933 | Sybil Llewelyn |
| 1934–1948 | Mary Hutton |
| 1949–1955 | Rubina Gainfort |
| 1955–1965 | Daphne Barrett |
| 1966–1971 | Nina Carr |
| 1972–1984 | Gwen Bowles |
| 1985–1996 | Gabrielle Blood |
| 1996–2004 | Lesley Boston |
| 2004–2012 | Jane Garvey |
| 2013–2018 | Toni Meath |
| 2019–2021 | Anne Stout |
| 2021–present | Sue Harrap |

## Enrolment and structure

The middle school caters for students in years 9 and 10, whilst the senior school caters for students in years 11 and 12. The school's enrolment is approximately 950 to 980 students every year. Prior to 2019, 225 students were admitted into year 9, with an extra class of 25 added in year 10. In 2019, the number of students in year 9 was changed to 250, with only a small number of students added in year 10 to bring the cohort back to 250 students. In 2020, a quota of 300 year 9 students were selected for enrolment every year through the year 8 entrance examination. The size of the year 10-12 cohorts vary between 230 and 260 students each year.

### Subjects

In Year nine, students take core subjects including Maths, Foreign Language, English, Science, Physical Education and School Singing. Students with Geography and History alternating per semester. Students are also required to take two electives.
Year ten students take Mathematics, Foreign Language, and choose an English elective, P.E elective, Humanities elective, Science elective, Arts/Technology elective and/or an uncatergorised elective. Many electives are also available as VCE 1/2 subjects. Students must also continue education of a foreign language either in school or as an external subject. If a student chooses to learn language externally, they must choose an extra elective to study at school.
Year eleven students may choose to study either VCE or IB. VCE students are required to take six year-long VCE/VET subjects, that may consist of maximum two 3/4 subjects.
Year twelve students typically study four to six 3/4 subjects. Students usually cannot study more than a total of six 3/4 subjects across their VCE journey.

## Houses

The four houses and their associated colours are:
* Naiads, river nymphs (blue)
* Dryads, tree nymphs (green)
* Nereids, sea nymphs (white)
* Oreads, mountain nymphs (red)
Nereids' official colour is white, although throughout the years it has come to adopt purple as its secondary colour.

## Notable alumni

Notable alumnae from the school include:
* Alexandra Adornetto, author
* Ellen Balaam, physician and first female surgeon in Victoria
* Judith Buckrich, academic and author
* Beatrice Faust (née Fennessy), author and feminist activist
* Alice Garner, actress and academic
* Antoinette Halloran, opera singer
* Amirah Inglis, author
* Rosea Kemp (née Boyd) - metrologist
* Tan Le, Young Australian of the Year
* Seen Lee, weightlifter
* Veronika Megler, computer scientist, data scientist and game developer
* Katharine Parton, composer & first female Director of Music, Fitzwilliam College Cambridge
* Alice Pung, author
* Christina Twomey, historian
* Priya Serrao, lawyer and Miss Universe Australia 2019
* Dorothy Shineberg, historian
* Renata Singer (née Diamond), novelist and author, wife and collaborator of Peter Singer
* Lili Wilkinson, author
* Penny Wright, senator

## Notable staff

* Sonny Chua (1967–2020), concert pianist, director of music